Mammoths and Hot Springs and Caves, Oh My!

Roadside View

Our Roadtrek looks very “vintage” next to this cool theatre in Hot Springs, SD:

Day 12: October 13

Eeks, someone left the water on next door last night:

Time for more tourist treats: off to Hot Springs (maybe we’re searching for a little heat!). On our way, we passed Pringle, “The Elk Capital of South Dakota”, and we’re hoping for the best.

We also saw the evidence of a devastating forest fire along with a sign amidst the charred trees: “Permits Required for Outdoor Burning”. we learned later that this was an UNprescribed burn in 2012, still recovering.

We passed through Hot Springs on our way to the Mammoth Site. A land developer found some “elephant bones” which were analyzed and the skeletal remains of 61 Columbian and Woolly mammoths have since been dug. Good little film, guided tour of the site, and time to walk around and take pictures. Amazing:

Next stop, Hot Springs downtown. Since the 1890’s, this town has attracted visitors to springs located around the town and area. Today, the sandstone architecture is beautiful:

Our last stop of the day was our home for the night, Wind Cave National Park. We’d heard Elk here seven years ago, so, fingers crossed.

We got settled and I took a hike through the campground (no Elk, but Prickly Pear Cactus was in bloom!):

Oh, and here’s our Elk sightings after all:

The evening ended with a campfire (!) for my view from my chair (Site 18, $9.00, Unserviced):

Day 13: October 14

Woke to thunder, lightening then the sounds and sights of HAIL:

That passed quickly, but to be safe, we decided to take the 10:00 Cave Tour to avoid any more!

It was okay, more a walk than a tour. These formations are very different from others we have seen underground, mostly web-like Boxwork:

One more swing through the Wildlife Loop at Custer was in order. We saw nothing on the road and decided to take our first sideroad (Lynda Harries Road):

…and met up with these guys at the end of the road:

Why did the Buffalo cross the road?

Too bad we didn’t bring our rollerskates:

With that good luck in mind, we went off-road again:

Oh, give me a home, where the:

roam, and the:

and the:

play!

Again, we were smiling (and singing) and headed back to the French Creek RV Park for one more night (16, $23.98 Full Hookup, Passport America-much cheaper at $17 if you stay two nights), and got another “deer” view from my chair:

F17: Carousing in Custer

Wildlife View

This trip is more about animals than waterfronts, our Roadtrek (though we ARE loving it), sunsets, or sunrises, so a new category emerges. THIS is a favourite for this instalment:

Day 9, October 10

Well, it didn’t freeze last night! So far, the temperatures have merely hovered around freezing.

Oh, we did get a Thanksgiving Dinner (a little processed, but turkey and the fixings nonetheless!):

We did get our water and headed into town to see if we could get some Sturgis bling. But, everyone in town seems tired as the season runs down, so not much is happening. But I did get a “You betcha”(for all you “Fargo” lovers) from the cashier in the grocery store!

We headed towards Custer and made the nostalgic drive through Deadwood:

though we barely recognized it from about 20 years ago. The hotels and casinos are bigger and flashier, and it’s lost most of its charm.

So, on we drove beside snow-covered hillsides

and got to Custer State Park ($20 for a week pass). Our first stop was a view of the South Dakota Badlands, way off in the distance:

..and these little cuties:

We got to the Blue Bell Campground and reserved a site, then drove the Wildlife Loop (18 miles), twice!

I really want to see Elk, but when I saw the sign that said “Road Open to Cow Elk Hunters Only”, I was happy they were hiding. And we really wanted to see the Donkeys we remember from seven years ago, but they, too, were missing.

But we did have loads of Buffalo:

…Pronghorns:

…White-tailed Deer:

…Prairie Dogs:

…  and some Wild Turkeys:

We got to our site (#22, $28.51 Electric) and enjoyed this view from my chair:

Day 10: October 11

We were up and out early, hoping to see even more animals on the Wildlife Loop. And we weren’t disappointed!

The Anthem Debate continues in Prairie Dog Town:

Then, we saw a Bevy of Buffalo:

…a Murder of Magpies (full disclosure, this picture is from Theodore Roosevelt, but the Magpies here are all on the fly, and I had forgotten to post these before, so…):

…a Parade of Pronghorns (there were at least 28 in this group):

…and, finally, a Bunch of Burros (not Donkeys, we discovered) or an Assembly of Asses (my favourite title). Twenty-one of them! SO cute:

Sated, we decided to head into the town of Custer for some city life! Yep, groceries, t-shirt stores, and a delicious lunch at the Black Hills Burger and Bun Co. (David decided to forgo a Buffalo Burger in honour of our furry friends, and I chose chicken!). The town is mostly empty and most stores and restaurants are closed for the season. But there were some interesting sights:

We did all this within walking distance of the French Creek RV Park:

…where we’re staying for two nights (Site #8/#16, Full Hookups, Two nights for $34, Passport America). Here’s the view from my chair:

And before we headed to bed, here was our own little wildlife park:

Day 11: October 12

Another sunny start to the day and a drive to Hill City for a trip on the 1880 Train (Powered by Steam).

On our way, we got a good roadside view of the Crazy Horse Memorial, begun in 1948. We had seen it about 20 years ago, again in 2011 and then, today. Frankly, not much seems to have progressed in that time. but there it is a privately-funded venture with no government support. It will be magnificent one day!

We got to the train depot, and walked around:

David was in his element, talking trains with a rail guy:

While we waited to board, we strolled through Hill City (where Custer came to find gold! And where he shot an elk!). It’s another tourist town, mostly closed for the season:

“All Aboard” came at 1:15, and the train was reasonably full. It was a nice ride out to Keystone and back for about 2 1/2 hours.

Once back, we stopped at this multi-purpose facility for diesel (casino, laundromat, pizza, convenience store, etc.):

I missed seeing a Buffalo today, so this will have to do (they’re all over Custer):

We headed back to the French Creek RV Park for WiFi and this view from my chair (including Campground Bunnies). Some friends say that we are Trailer Trash when we travel. Is this what they mean?